In for a Penny
by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Summary: "I was just looking to get a date. Was that so much to ask? Apparently so because the girl I wound up getting a date with wasn't even a real person. I only found that out too late, now I'm already involved. Oh well, I suppose as the saying goes: In for a penny, in for a pound." First-person: Jaune. Two-shot.
1. In for a penny

**AN:** Hello once again, or just hello if this is the first story of mine you're checking out. This time it is a two-shot and if the character tags didn't give it away this is a (Jaune x Penny) pairing story. Do they have a ship name? I don't think they but what do I know? Anyways, I never really had much interest in the pair until I started writing Penny in my first story, Auburn. She's such a fun character to write for that I decided to make a story with her.

This is a first-person story told from Jaune's POV. I'm more used to doing third-person limited when writing so this was a bit different than I'm used to but it seemed to fit well for this and I think I did alright. It takes place after the episode Best Day Ever and diverges from there. Also, this was inspired by the anime movie Patema Inverted, and while I know that seems like quite the jump to get from that movie to what this turned out to be I think there are still some similarities if you squint. I recommend that movie by the way, I really enjoyed it.

01

* * *

 **In for a Penny**

* * *

"Oh, how about her? She's pretty cute." I asked excitedly while pointing out a very attractive young girl walking on the opposite side of the street.

"Jaune…" My less than enthusiastic wingman, Lie Ren, deadpanned after taking a small sip from his tea. "...she's like thirty. I'm sorry, but I don't think you have a chance."

"Are you serious!?" I placed my hands on the table we were sitting at and leaned off my chair as I squinted my eyes in order to try and get a better look at the woman I had pointed out. Just how was Ren able to guess her appropriate age from all the way over here? Mind you, I didn't doubt that he was right, that guy had some kind of super-eyesight or something but I just couldn't believe my own eyesight was so bad. Now that I got a closer look she certainly did look a little older.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly in a position to be picky but trying to get together with an older woman was certainly going to be a high hurdle to overcome. With a resigned sigh, I plopped back down in my chair and glared at my wingman who was just casually enjoying his tea, not really bothering to check out potential girlfriends for me. Seriously, this guy could try to work a little harder. I picked this cafe because it was his favorite and the tea here isn't exactly cheap. Ren was like a brother to me, and really the only guy at Beacon I got along with. He wasn't really the most forthcoming with information though.

"So what do you suggest?" I placed my elbow on the table and rested my chin in the palm of my hand while glaring at him. Ren met my glare with a merely impassive gaze that was kind of unnerving but I didn't break eye-contact. It was Ren that looked away first as he began to scan the crowds of people as they passed by us.

After several moments of doing this, he finally seemed to reach a conclusion. "We shouldn't have left Beacon." My eye twitched. That was it? That was his grand suggestion, his words of ultimate sage wisdom? Thanks, but I could've done without that.

"I wasn't exactly hitting it off with the girls at Beacon, you know?" I seriously wondered if maybe he didn't know. It wasn't like I really knew too many. Ruby was cute, but I really didn't fancy the idea of what her sister would do to me if I made a move on her. Yang herself was drop-dead gorgeous, but she was so many levels above me it wasn't even funny. The same could be said for her partner, Blake. I had actually tried to get with Weiss but she wasn't exactly the most receptive to my advances. If this didn't work out though, maybe I should try again?

"How about Pyrrha?" Ren asked and I immediately shook my head. Pyrrha was great. She was my partner and probably my best friend. I would've asked her to be my wingman but that would've been kind of awkward. Besides, I couldn't date a teammate, I was the leader of my team. I had to make sure they were all equally important to me. "Nora?" Ren offered next.

"Please tell me you're joking!" I slammed my hand on my knee as I glared at Ren in wide-eyed disbelief. For just a moment I could see a small, barely noticeable twitch that could've been a smile and a strange warmth in his eyes. Huh, so this guy did have a sense of humor. Who knew?

"I am just saying Jaune. Huntresses at Beacon are more likely to share your interests than some random stranger on the street." Bah, Ren and his logic. Of course he would throw that at me. Maybe he was right though? Even if he was, it was me that was paying for the expensive-ass tea that he was drinking. I was going to get my money's worth out of him even if it killed me.

A commotion from further down the street caught my attention and I stretched my neck to see what was going on and even Ren turned around to see what it could be. As Hunters-in-training, it might be up to us to step in after all. From out of the crowd burst an incredibly cute girl about my age with curly orange hair and a pink bow on the back of her head. She was running quite quickly despite her petite size and I could see the anxiety in her shocking green eyes even from here. Two Atlas soldiers, one in red and the other in blue, appeared from the crowd behind her as they bowled people out of the way while giving chase. So she was being pursued. Did that make her a criminal? No, there was no way. I didn't exactly know anything about this girl but one look at her told me she was in fact not a bad person. That meant only one thing…

...she was a damsel in distress.

Ren turned back towards me and there must have been some kind of scheming gleam in my eye because his own face twisted in horror. "Jaune...please no."

"You got your tea, Ren." I grinned as I slapped a healthy amount of lien on the table. "Now it's time for you to be a proper wingman."

* * *

The plan was simple.

Honestly a little too simple and Ren was expressing serious doubts about it being able to work. Hadn't he ever heard that simple is often the best? Why go out of the way to make elaborate schemes when you didn't need to? Oh well, fortunately I was his leader, both on his team and in this little operation, so he reluctantly agreed anyways.

I ran several side-streets ahead of where that girl was being pursued and was now waiting for her to run past, my scroll in one hand, ready to send Ren the signal. After several seconds I could hear the girl approaching and I sent the message.

Just as planned, I heard a loud crash as Ren fulfilled his part and bumped into the two soldiers and hopefully knocked them over, breaking their line of sight on the girl. Just as that happened, she ran past the alley and my hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm. What I hadn't counted on was the girl to be as strong as she was.

I was yanked off my feet from the velocity of her sprint but my own weight threw her off balance and she stumbled into the alley and in blur of movement we both tumbled to the ground. One loud crash and a headache later and I was laying on my back with something really soft pressing against my face.

I let out a small groan of pain and opened my eyes to see the girl's chest pressing against my face...at least I was pretty sure it was her chest. It was kind of hard to tell seeing as it was consuming the entirety of my vision right now. Regardless of if it was or not, my face turned beat-red in embarrassment as I waited for divine retribution from this girl to rain down upon me.

This was just typical. Here I was trying to act like some suave hero and instead I was going to be perceived as some common pervert looking to cop a feel. There went any and all my chances of asking this girl on a date. Yet...after several seconds nothing happened and I was struck with another fear; I hadn't accidentally knocked her out, had I? "Umm...are you okay?" My voice was muffled by the fabric of her shirt.

"I am wonderful. Thank you for asking." The girl responded in a surprisingly chipper tone. Uhh...I was kind of confused now. This whole situation actually sounded kind of reminiscent of that one story Ruby was telling me about that girl Weiss ran into.

"Aren't you...running from someone right now?" I was getting a little concerned about this girl and was even beginning to second-guess myself on choosing to intervene with that chase. What if she wasn't all there mentally and was a danger to herself and others? That wouldn't make her a bad person, just someone that was sick and couldn't help it, meaning my earlier judgement still stood.

"...Yes." The girl sprung to her feet but as she did she pulled me up with her. "Come on!" She grabbed my hand and yanked me forward and deeper into the alley as she sprinted ahead, nearly yanking my arm from its socket and going faster than I was capable of running on my own.

"I really...don't think...we need to be...running-" I was yelling in between gasps of breath that I had to suck in to possibly keep up with this crazy, strong girl. "-this far...my buddy, Ren...should've sent those...guys...the wrong way." Just as I finished saying all that we emerged out on a completely different street on the other side of the block we had been at.

The girl whirled around to stare at me, still holding my hand as she did and I unintentionally took a step back from her unwavering green eyes. "So...you are saying you helped me get away?"

"Uhh...I guess?" Before I could even shrug the girl lunged forward and wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug.

"Sen-sa-tion-al!" She yelled happily as she lifted me into the air and off my feet. "Thank you so much!"

"No...problem!" I gasped desperately for air as I flailed my feet in a vain attempt to touch down on the ground again. Fortunately, the hug didn't last long and she plopped me back down on my feet. "So…why were you being chased by those guys?" I asked awkwardly as I glanced around to make sure no one was looking at us strangely, who knew how many other people were after this unusual girl.

She made a complicated expression as she glanced back and forth before leaning right up to me, in fact, she leaned so close our noses were nearly touching and I could literally see every freckle on her face in extreme detail. She didn't pay any mind at all to the proximity even as I blushed deeply. "The truth is...I ran away."

"Well...I kind of got that much." I wonder if this is how everyone on my team felt when they were talking to me? "Why were you running away?"

She smiled brightly as she took a couple skips backwards, both to my relief and disappointment. Even if she was a little odd, I didn't mind having such an incredibly cute girl standing that close to me. She then spread her arms out wide as if gesturing to the entire world. "I want to go out and spend time with normal people! Everyday is always the same old thing. Just a small lab, with the same tests, and the same boring people! I want to know what it is like to be a normal girl!"

"You just want to be...normal?" That was a strange thought to me. As long as I can remember I've been about the most average guy on the planet. Nothing exciting ever happened to me or around me. That was why I set out to become a Hunter. I wanted to be someone great, someone that normal people looked up to. In other words, I was trying to escape the mediocrity of normalcy...while this girl was trying to break into it.

"Most definitely." The girl nodded exaggeratedly. "Thank you so much for your help earlier. I am most appreciative." She paused and tilted her head as if she just thought of something after saying that. "Why did you help me?"

"Oh...well-" My blushed returned and I rubbed my head awkwardly as I averted my eyes. "I was hoping that maybe you would want to go on a date with me?" Well, I said it. I asked this girl who's name I still didn't know on a date. That had been the purpose in doing this after all. I wouldn't have been able to face Ren after all he did to make this happen if I didn't at least ask.

The girl hadn't responded even after thirty seconds passed and I was beginning to take that as a sign of rejection until I turned back to see a look of wonder in her green eyes. "You...a normal boy, are asking me as a normal girl to go and partake in everyday activities with you as friends with the potential to become more?"

"Uhh...yes?" That was certainly one way to put it, although I had never heard it worded quite like that before.

To say she looked like Christmas had come early when be an understatement as she lunged at me again before embracing me in yet another painfully bone-shattering hug. "Yes! I am so excited! I cannot even believe it right now! I have gotten myself a date!" Somehow I feel like that was supposed to be my line. Despite the fact that I couldn't breathe I let out a huge grin of my own. Finally, I finally got a girl to agree to go on a date with me. "What are we going to do first?" She asked as she set me down.

"..." I raised a finger to answer and stopped short.

Uh oh.

I had been so worked up about just trying to actually get a date I had never considered what to do once I successfully got one. "Umm…" I had to think of something fast or I might lose her...what was her name? "...how about we start by introducing ourselves?" Sure, that sounded like a good idea, although I should probably start. "My name's Jaune Arc, it's nice to meet you." I stood up straight and extended an open palm towards her.

"Salutations, Jaune. My name is Penny." She reached forward and took my hand and we gave one small shake before pulling them back. Penny, huh? I liked the name, and it seemed to fit her in a cute kind of way. Now that introductions were out of the way though, I needed to come up with the next part of my on-the-fly date plan. Before I could say anything though, something seemed to catch Penny's eye and she trailed over to a poster on the wall.

Curiously, I followed after to see her looking at a flyer for the Vale City Zoo. "Do you like animals?"

Penny frowned and shook her head. "I do not know. I have never seen any."

"What?!" I know she had talked about being sheltered but this was more than I had ever imagined. Besides, the zoo wasn't exactly a bad idea. We could spend the whole day there if it went well. "Come on. Let's go!" I grabbed her hand and gave a small pull.

She looked at me in surprise before she started to follow. "Really? You will take me to the zoo?"

I grinned broadly at her. "Of course! If you want to do it then we're going for it. This is a date after all."

* * *

"Oh my gosh!" Penny twirled around in excitement as she beelined it further into the zoo, constantly changing her mind on which direction she wanted to go every couple steps and making it impossible for her to go very far in any one direction.

I couldn't help but smile at her childlike enthusiasm, just glad that she appeared to be having fun already even though we had only just arrived. I didn't know much about Penny yet, but she was cute and certainly an interesting person so I wanted this date to go well, if only so I would be able to take her on future dates so I could continue to get to know her.

"What do you want to see first, Penny?" I called just loudly enough for her to hear as I waved a small, folded up map over my head. She stopped in her tracks before jogging back over to me and I unfolded it and held it open between us. "Let's start with something close by and just work our way back. We can do the penguins, they should be in that building over there." I pointed just ahead and to our left. "Or maybe you just want to see the flamingos?" I pointed the other way.

"Both!" Penny responded enthusiastically. She was quite literally shaking she was so excited and looked about ready to just take off running in a random direction if I didn't choose one for us. "I want to see everything!"

"Everything is going to make for a full day." If that was what Penny wanted though, that was what Penny was going to get. I would stop at nothing to make sure this was the best experience of her life. "Let's do the penguins first and then skip over to the flamingos next. We'll just beline our way to the back of the park and hit as much on the way as we can." As I spoke, Penny was scanning the map with incredible scrutiny.

"I have determined the most efficient route for us to take in order to see everything!" She declared before grabbing my hand once more and pulling me along towards the penguins. I didn't really mind being yanked around though, I was used to it after all.

We entered into the penguin exhibit and my nose was almost immediately assaulted by the smell of fish. Fortunately, Penny didn't seem to mind at all as she let go of my hand and walked forward as if she was in a trance. Just ahead of us was a solid glass pane and on the other side it was almost like another world. Penguins marched about on the icy surface, some of them with their buddies and others on their own. A couple of them dove in the water, creating a huge splash as they did. Penny walked right up to the glass and leaned forward as far as she could and placed one hand on the pane.

"They are are real, actual live animals. I did not think I would ever actually see them." I stopped right next to her and saw the look of complete enthrallment on her face and felt a small worm of guilt form in the pit of my stomach. She had really, never seen other animals before. I don't know what kind of life Penny lived before this and I certainly didn't know at that moment what kind of life she would live from now on, but I decided that I would for sure make this one of the most fulfilling days she ever had.

"Come on." I nodded towards a flight of stairs that would take us down. "I think we can see them swimming around down there." She turned to me, a bit of the mysticism still plastered on her face and I couldn't help but blush now that it was directed at me. As gently as I could, I reached my hand forward and took hers once more but it felt different this time. Every other time we had held hands it was so we could pull one another along some where. This time I just grabbed it because I felt like I wanted to hold her...and be a little closer to her.

She must have thought it was different too, because for the first time since we met her cheeks tinted slightly red and a small smile formed across her face, which made me a little happy. It meant that even just a little she was starting to like me, at least I hoped. We walked down the stairs and watched the penguins as they swam around under the water. It was a really cool sight and as I watched them an idea formed in the back of my head. "Penny. Stand in front of them and turn around. I'll take your picture." I was already pulling out my scroll as I took a couple steps back.

"You should be in the picture with me. That is what most couples do while out on a date." Penny said even as she did what I told her. She did have a point. Fortunately there were plenty of other people here. Just as I was turning around to ask an older fellow tapped me on the shoulder.

"I'll take it for you, lad." The older man grinned at me as he held out his hand for my scroll.

"Really? Thanks! I really appreciate it." I handed him the scroll and took a couple steps back towards Penny. "Do you know how to use the camera on it?"

"Of course, of course. Just leave it to me." The man waved off my concern. "Now don't keep your girlfriend waiting. Get nice and close to her already."

'R-right!" I grinned brightly as I took my spot next to Penny. She immediately wrapped her arm around my own and leaned her head over so it was propped up on my shoulder. Another small blush spread across my face even as I forced myself to relax and smiled into the camera.

"Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" Penny and I said together just as a bright flash signified that he had taken the picture.

I walked forward and accepted my scroll back from him to see how it turned out and couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was perfect. Just passing behind us was a line of penguins as they torpedoed through the water. It was my very first picture on my very first date with a girl. "Thanks, I love it." I told the man and he nodded, apparently satisfied with his own work as he walked off. "Penny, want to see?"

"I do." Penny was already leaning over me to get a good look at it. When she saw it, she too broke out in a huge smile. "Can you send it to me?" She asked as she pulled out her own scroll.

"Sure. I need to send it to Ren too. Gotta let him know that this is actually going pretty well...it is going well, right?" I don't know why but the question just slipped out of my mouth without me even really thinking about it. I guess I was still just really nervous about making sure this whole thing turned out perfect. More so than ever I wanted her to have the time of her life.

"So far this date has been sensational." Penny's words filled me with ease as she held up her scroll so we could exchange contact information. I did the same and a second later I sent her and Ren both the photo.

Penny smiled as she looked at the picture on her own scroll. "Jaune...does this make us friends?"

"Of course it makes us friends. Now come on, we got a lot of ground to cover if we are going to get through everything." I held out my hand and Penny looked at it for a moment before gently taking it. Together, the two of us left the penguin exhibit hand-in-hand and made our way to the next destination.

* * *

"And those baby pandas were just so adorable! I wish I just could have ran up and hugged them! Oh, oh, and do you remember the dolphins! I had no idea other species could be so intelligent! That was incredible!" Penny went on and on as we left the zoo together, waving her hands wildly as she recounted everything it was that we saw. She had a huge smile on her face that I swear lit up the night. Night...I couldn't believe we stayed in there until the sun set.

The street lamps gave us plenty of light even as we navigated the crowds and made our way towards the station. Problem was...I didn't want this to end just yet. I had so much fun and I was pretty sure Penny had too. She was so excited she didn't even have an appetite, at least that was the only reason I could think why she hadn't eaten yet at all today. I stopped as we came to a split in the path that no one else was using and Penny kept walking another few paces before she realized I wasn't by her side anymore.

She turned to me curiously so I pointed down the path and summoned up all the courage I had just to say my next words. "I don't suppose...you want to take a detour? There's supposed to be a little park just down this way."

Penny gave a single enthusiastic nod. "Okay!" She skipped back to my side and wrapped her arm around mine before interlocking fingers. I couldn't help but still blush even though we had been holding hands most of the day. Mine must have surely been covered in sweat at this point but she didn't seem to mind at all as we walked down the pathway together. "What animal was your favorite?" She suddenly asked and I turned to see her looking up at me expectantly.

I thought about it for a couple seconds but there was really only one particular animal that came to mind when I thought of which was my favorite. "It would have to be the lions. They're just so cool looking. Terrifying too though...I would never want to run into a Grimm that looks like a lion. I think I would just die of a heart-attack."

Penny giggled lightly and squeezed my hand a little more tightly. "Do not worry, Jaune! I would protect you!" Yeah...that sounded reassuring. "Oh, is this the park you were referring to?" I looked down the path to see a small playground for kids just ahead of us. It wasn't anything extravagant. Just a jungle-gym, a slide, and a swing set.

"Yeah, this is it." I nodded as we walked in and I made right for the swings. "Let's sit down for a minute." I disentangled myself from her arm and took a seat on one of the swings. Penny gave a perplexed look as she took a spot on another. As she did, she pulled out her scroll and began flipping through all the pictures that we had taken throughout the day. A majority of them we had others take for us so we could both be in them and in every picture, without fail, Penny and I were giving huge genuine smiles as we clung to one another with a different animal behind us. We actually...kind of looked like a couple.

I let out a huge smile at the thought and my body overflowed with so much energy I swung my legs out and the pulled them back as I began rocking back and forth on the swing. With each successive kick I got higher and higher. It wasn't until I reached the height the swing would allow me that I saw Penny glancing at me curiously, as if trying to figure out what I was doing. "You've never been on a swing either?" I asked in shock and she shook her head.

I stuck out my feet and brought the swing to a stop before I jumped off and ran around to the back of hers. "Here, everyone needs to be pushed on a swing at least once in their life. Just lift your legs a little off the ground and leave the rest to me."

"Okay." Penny did as I instructed and I placed my hands on her back and gave a solid push. She swung a little forward before coming back and I caught her and this time gave a little stronger of a push, she swung further out and I took a step to the side.

"When you start going forward kick your legs out straight." I instructed and she did as I said, swinging farther forward than even before. "Now pull them back in." She came back and then swung herself forward once more. The look of uncertainty turned into a face of pure delight as she got a little higher each time. I think I really, really liked that about her. Even the most mundane things seemed to bring her just the brightest joy that I couldn't help but find infectious.

In other words, being with Penny was fun.

So much fun that I really wanted to hang with her again. As I thought this, Penny stuck out her legs and skid to a stop before leaping to her feet in exhilaration. "Jaune! Did you see how high I got?! That was amazing! I am most thrilled that we choose to come to this playground!" She continued to smile brightly at me but it faltered slightly when she saw the look of contemplation I surely had on my face. "...Jaune?" She tilted her head quizzically.

"Penny...I-" My breath hitched as I looked at her. Today was such a great time...I didn't want to mess it up by appearing desperate, but Penny had a wonderful time as well, right? What was I even worrying about this for? I was so used to getting shot down all the time that it shouldn't even faze me anymore. I guess...I just really wanted this time to work. I really, really wanted that. I took a deep breath and recomposed myself while closing my eyes. When I opened them back up, Penny was still standing there, her shocking green eyes looking at me curiously as she waited for me to continue.

"I really had a lot of fun today...with you. I'd like it a lot if we could...do this again sometime? I know that's probably hard for you since you have to sneak out and all...but well, if it's not too much trouble...maybe next time you came out with me it could be as my girlfriend?"

Well, there it was. I asked her to go out with me. Officially. My nerves were causing me to shake so bad it was a miracle I didn't bolt right then and there. Especially since Penny wasn't giving any kind of reaction at all. At the very least she didn't look disgusted or angry at me but she didn't exactly look thrilled or happy either. In fact, if I had to describe the look on her face I would say it was confusion, almost as if she wasn't quite sure how to respond. When girls didn't know how to respond though, that usually wasn't a good thing. That just meant they were trying to think of a way to let you down gently. Damn, I really had messed up. Maybe it wasn't too late for me to take it back? No, I was pretty sure it was. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted at least.

Just as I finished this increasingly depressing line of thought, Penny took a step towards me. I almost flinched backwards out of instinct but somehow managed to maintain my spot. Good thing I did too, because now Penny was directly in front of me, we were so close our chests were nearly bumping against each other, and her arms reached up and wrapped around the back of my neck. There was no way...my mind almost shut down as it realized what was happening. Penny tilted her head up and leaned her face forward as she pulled mine towards hers. We both closed our eyes just as our lips met.

Penny...was kissing me.

I guess I could take that as a yes then? I didn't really care much at that point as I just enjoyed the moment. My hands wrapped around the middle of her back and pulled her body in closer to mine as the two of us continued the kiss and one of her hands combed through my hair while the other held firm around the back of my neck.

Finally, the two of us pulled back away from one another, but by no more than a single inch and my eyes fluttered open to see Penny's green eyes glancing anxiously into mine. "Wow." I mumbled between gasps for breath. She didn't appear winded at all, almost as if she didn't even have to breathe.

"Was that...an appropriate response?" Penny asked in concern. "I was not sure how else to adequately express affirmation."

I nodded perhaps a little more enthusiastically than I should have. "That is without a doubt the best response I have ever gotten in my whole life!"

"Oh, well then excellent. I was most worried that I messed up." If that was a mess up, I'm glad she didn't get it right. "Do you...wish to kiss again?"

I couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across my face even as I cupped her chin between my thumb and index finger. "Definitely."

I leaned forward and locked lips with her again. I, Jaune Arc, was sharing my second kiss with a girl, and to boot it was immediately after my first one. Not just any girl either. She...Penny was my girlfriend now. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this was probably the happiest moment of my entire life.

In hindsight, I suppose it only made sense that what happened next was inevitable. I had achieved far too much happiness in a single moment and by the very nature of our world I had to be brought back down. Still, I wish the world could've been at least a little more subtle about it. At the very least I could've done without the blinding floodlights or the roaring engine of a dozen bullheads. Now that I think about it I really didn't care for the myriad of soldiers that stormed the park and surrounded the two of us much either. It was a little over-dramatic of a display.

Regardless, it was effective at scaring the crap out of me as I whirled around and instinctively reached for Crocea Mors. "Jaune, Wait!" Penny grabbed my arm and squeezed even as I tried to stand protectively in front of her. She continued in a softer tone after I didn't move to actually draw my sword. "They are here for me. Just let me go for now...I will come find you."

That was certainly an option. I could've just let her go. She had managed to escape once before so she should be able to do it again, from wherever it was she escaped from. That was just it, I didn't know what kind of place they were taking her back to. Penny must have been important for them to send this many people out to get her. The thing was...she was important to me now too. I may have only met her this morning but she was my girlfriend now. Even if she wasn't, I couldn't just let these bastards take a girl away against her will. I wasn't training to become a Hunter just so I could stand by and watch such atrocities be committed.

"I'm not letting these jerks take you, Penny. Not unless I'm sure you're going to be safe and treated well." I spoke defiantly and just loud enough for all the soldiers around me to hear, which meant I kind of had to yell over the roar of the bullheads. I could feel Penny's grip on my hand tighten a little more and that was enough to know that I was making the right decision.

"Well, well. How very noble." A commanding voice lauded and a couple of the soldiers in front of me parted to let a familiar looking person through. My jaw slackened slightly as I recognized the man that spoke as James Ironwood, the General over the entire Atlas Military. Just what...was he doing here? I had known Penny must be important simply by this display of manpower but the fact that this man himself would personally come to collect her practically elevated her to the level of an international princess. He gave what was supposed to be a disarming smile as he slowly began to amble towards me, his hands behind his back. Still, his very presence had me on edge and no matter how nonthreatening he was pretending to be even someone like me knew not to drop my guard around him.

"So let me ask you something, Mr Arc." My eyes widened as he said my name despite having never met before. "How exactly did you picture this going? Let's say you weren't satisfied with our answer on where we were going to take Penny. Would you take on all these soldiers by yourself? Maybe, just maybe you manage to get out of here with her. Let's assume then that you convince her to run off with you. Now you are a fugitive wanted by the Atlas Military. You can't return to Beacon and you certainly wouldn't be able to return to your family. Eventually, you will be caught and detained and Penny will be punished for defying us. Maybe you get lucky though? Maybe you get away and run off to live in seclusion together. What is the value in that though? You would've thrown away everything, your friends, your family, your dreams, all for a girl you just met today."

He stopped just an arm's-length away from me as he finished his made-up scenario. All of what he said made so much sense it hurt, but I wouldn't be moved. I didn't care that he was right. "Penny just wants to live a normal life. Why can't you give her that?" I straightened out and did my best to meet Ironwood's eyes with as serious a glare I could muster.

Ironwood gave a small chuckle. "Is that how you planned to get out of this? Talk to me heart-to-heart, make me realize that Penny is a real girl with real feelings? Did you think that would be enough to convince me?" Before I could react, Ironwood's hand swung from behind his back and connected with the side of my cheek.

The world flashed white as the force of his blow rocketed me off my feet and sent me flying to the side. I crashed painfully onto the ground and then skid several feet to a stop. Damn...that hurt. That really freaking hurt. What was his hand made of, steel? Even with my Aura at full I still really felt that punch. My cheek was undoubtedly swollen and I'm pretty sure my lip had split and blood was trailing down my chin.

"Jaune!" Penny screamed before letting out a small cry of pain. I grit my teeth in anger and the world flowed back into focus as I propped myself up onto my elbows to glare at Ironwood. He had grabbed Penny roughly by the hair and was holding her in place. Meanwhile, his other hand was navigating her scroll with a bemused expression on his face.

"This is rich...almost too funny. You spent the whole day with her and yet you didn't think anything at all was strange?" Ironwood shook his head and tossed Penny's scroll towards me. It landed just in front of my feet and I could see the first picture the two of us had taken displayed on the screen. Penny looked so happy, and at the same time nervous. Our date had just been beginning. Now though...what was Ironwood saying? What should I have noticed? Penny was a normal girl.

"You really don't have even the smallest inkling of what I'm talking about?" He actually sounded genuinely surprised by the confusion showing on my face. "Well, I guess you wouldn't. It's not every person that would willing ask a robot to be his girlfriend."

"..." What? What on Remnant did Ironwood just say? A robot? What the Hell was he talking about? My mind couldn't possibly wrap itself around the concept.

"Mr Ironwood!" Penny screamed and tried to pull herself free but he held firmly onto her.

"It's fine, Penny. I was of course against letting your identity be known to anyone but letting this one kid with his head in the clouds know the truth shouldn't harm anything. It's not like anyone would believe him even if he did say something." Ironwood continued to speak words that might as well have been gibberish to me. My brain was still trying to play catch up from what he just said. "Consider yourself honored, Mr Arc. I am going give my practice speech to you now for when I eventually reveal Penny to the world. Penny here, well, she isn't a real human. That's right. She is the first artificial interface capable of producing her own Aura! She's the first of her kind but I can promise you she will not be the last." I still wasn't capable of understanding the words that were coming out of his mouth. Ironwood must have noticed because he tried a different approach.

"You didn't think it was weird at all today? You didn't notice her irregular strength?" That was right, when I first grabbed her, she had yanked me off my feet.

"Perhaps her complete and utter disregard for ordinary social norms?" She had been laying on top of me and despite the fact that my face was in her chest she hadn't gotten angry nor made any move to get up.

"It didn't cross your mind as the slightest bit odd that she hasn't had anything to eat all day?" I just assumed it had been a side-effect of all the fun we had been having. That hadn't been it at all though...Penny wasn't eating because she forgot she was hungry. Penny wasn't eating because she wasn't even capable of being hungry to begin with.

"Penny...you're not real?" I couldn't believe this. I didn't want to believe it. The only person that I could turn to though was the girl herself.

Penny shook her head desperately and I could see the deep hurt in her eyes. She wasn't crying though, I'm not even sure anymore if she was capable of crying. "I am real, Jaune. I am a real girl." Hiccup.

"And there is that unique little glitch of hers. She can't tell a lie without it causing her to hiccup. It's actually pretty useful in situations like this." At this point his words were more like background noise to me. I could hear them but they weren't really registering in my brain. The only thing I could see was Penny. She was in pain, she was in so much pain at this very moment. Yet...I couldn't bring myself to move. I had to help her...I needed to help her. My body wouldn't respond though.

My brain was caught in a loop.

Penny wasn't real. The girl I had taken on a date today wasn't real. The girl I shared my first kiss with wasn't real. The girl I asked to be my girlfriend wasn't real. All the happiness I had felt spending the day with her suddenly felt like it wasn't real. It was almost as if the whole day had just been one big lie. The reality of that had caused my body to lock up and I could only continue to stare at Penny in a mixture of shock and betrayal.

She averted her eyes and quit struggling to free herself from Ironwood. She no longer tried desperately to reach me and instead stood impassively in her spot. "So I see the two of you finally get it. Whatever this farce of a life you were trying to create for yourself Penny, it isn't meant for you. You are destined for much bigger things. As for you Mr Arc, I understand what it's like to be young and feel the need to find love, but next time, maybe choose an actual real girl?" Ironwood began to pull Penny away as he talked but she still didn't look at me even though my eyes remained glued to her. "Now come along, Penny. We're bringing you back to the CCT, where you will never see Mr Arc again."

With that, Ironwood and all his men departed, dragging a nonresistant Penny with them. I couldn't get the look of utter resignation that was plastered across her face out of my mind. Yet I wasn't able to move either. Instead I just sat there until I was the only one left in the park. I don't know how long it was before I finally started to move again. My Aura had long since healed my wound and my cheek no longer stung. Although the pain of his punch wasn't comparable to the pain I felt in my heart right at that moment.

Penny was gone.

And I was alone.


	2. In for a pound

02

* * *

 **In for a Pound**

* * *

I was still sitting in that playground when Ren eventually found me.

I must have been there for several hours already but I just couldn't bring myself to leave. At the very least I had gotten off the ground and was now sitting on the same swing Penny had been using before I asked her to be my girlfriend. I just...couldn't get past the fact that she wasn't even a real girl. Certainly she had been odd, eccentric even, but she had just seemed like a sheltered girl just looking to have some fun. I guess that went to show just how stupid I am.

Ren silently picked up my scroll which had been dropped on the ground when Ironwood punched me before sitting down on the swing next to me. He didn't say anything despite the fact that he must have surely been curious about what happened, not to mention worried about me. In fact, I was quite positive Pyrrha and Nora were running all over Vale looking for me right at this moment too, it was after midnight by now after all. Still, Ren remained silent and just waited for me to speak when I was ready. He didn't ask why I wasn't answering their calls or about where Penny was. He didn't call either of our teammates, he just waited...patiently.

"She...wasn't a real girl, Ren." His eyes widened a little in surprise at my words before I amended them. "She was a robot. Well...that scary General Ironwood called her an artificial interface capable of producing an Aura if you want to be technical."

"..."

"...Can you believe that? I spent the whole day with her and didn't even realize I was on a date with a robot girl. She just...seemed like she was having so much fun and I guess so was I. It never occurred to me that something was off." I gave a mirthful chuckle. "I asked her to be my girlfriend right here. I asked her and she kissed me to say yes. Everything was going so perfect. I guess it must have been too perfect for it to actually be true. Man, that's just my luck." My voice cracked and I felt something wet roll off my chin.

Was I...crying?

I reached my hand up just beneath my eye and rubbed away the trail of silent tears that I hadn't even realized I was shedding. Man, I must have looked so pathetic right now. Here I was crying about a girl I had only just met earlier today, I guess technically it was yesterday now. It had been...so much fun though. Even if it hadn't been real I had thought I was really happy hanging out with her.

Ren handed me my scroll and I took it from him to see he had opened it up to one of the pictures Penny and I had taken with one another. We were in front of a couple giraffes, and Penny was stretching her hand way above her head with her mouth making a big O to express her wonder at the length of their necks. I was next to her, nearly doubled over as I laughed at the expression on her face.

"I don't know about you, Jaune." Ren finally began to speak. "But that looks real to me."

I opened my mouth but no words came out as I stared at the picture. "Penny...might not be a real person in the same sense that you and I are, but you said that she was capable of creating an Aura. Only living people with a soul have an Aura, Jaune." Ren swiped the picture to the next one and it was of me making my best lion impression in front of the lion den with Penny giggling just next to me. "You must have showed her a great time if she agreed to be your girlfriend, even more-so because she knew that she wasn't a normal girl like everyone else."

Damn, just like before Ren was throwing his logic at me. I would be kind of irritated about it if his words weren't forcing me to have an epiphany at that very moment. The thing was, Ren was right. I mean, of course he was right, he's Ren. Penny...she wasn't a real girl. That didn't mean her emotions weren't real. That didn't mean her answer wasn't real. Penny, she was a special girl that was just looking for some normalcy in life. I, even if unintentionally, offered that to her. That was why she so readily agreed to be my girlfriend. That was why she looked so hurt when I found out the truth.

The real truth though was...Penny was my girlfriend, real girl or not. And my girlfriend needed my help. With a look of resolution in my eyes, I got to my feet and turned my head towards the Cross Continental Transmit, which was a tall tower that was visible even from here. That was where Ironwood said he was taking Penny. He thought that because I knew the truth, I wouldn't bother to come rescue her. I was about to show him just how wrong he was to underestimate me.

"So...what's the plan, fearless leader?" Ren used Nora's nickname for me and got to his feet before turning to see where I was looking. Just like a real brother, he was with me to the end.

I gave an awkward grin as I rested my hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "You know...the usual. Something stupid."

Ren nodded sagely. "Should we call Pyrrha and Nora for this one?"

"Definitely." My scroll was already calling out as we walked off to save my girlfriend.

* * *

"You sure you're up for this, Nora?" I glanced nervously at my most hyperactive teammate to see her only nodding excitedly. Of course she was excited, I had pretty much given her full permission to break as many legs as she wanted...I just didn't expect that there were going to be so many legs for her to break. We were just outside the entrance to the CCT, crouched behind a row of bushes and just ahead of us was a countless number of Atlas Soldiers patrolling the entire perimeter. I knew Penny was important but this was kind of ridiculous. "You really don't have to do this...you're all going to become enemies of Atlas along with me if you go through with this."

A gentle hand rested on my shoulder and I turned to see Pyrrha give me an encouraging grin. "You're our leader, Jaune. If you call on us, we'll fight for you no matter what." Right, it really was great to know I had such amazing people for teammates. I had never forgotten that fact but it seemed every time we ever did anything together I was reminded of it anyways.

"Can I get going already? You just need me to create as big a ruckus as possible, right?" Nora tapped her hammer impatiently and I saw her feet twitch in anticipation. She really didn't have any second-thoughts about what I was asking her to do. I took a glance at my scroll again to see it was just past one in the morning. Well, I suppose it was as good a time as any.

I rubbed Nora's head affectionately before placing a quick kiss on the top of her ginger hair. "Nora...smash."

She gave a feral grin and broke free from the cover of the bushes as she charged forward with her hammer held high above her head. "Yahoo!" She jumped in the air towards the nearest pair of soldiers and brought her hammer down at their feet. The poor guys didn't even know what happened as they were sent flying backwards by the pink explosion that destroyed the concrete.

A siren sounded in the distance and floodlights illuminated the vicinity around Nora. Soldiers were already running to intercept her. I don't think they expected her to meet their charge all too gleefully, swinging her hammer in circles like some kind of manic psychopath. Needless to say, she was playing the part of distraction perfectly and it would be a while before they managed to subdue her.

"Well, shall we get moving then?" I slowly backed up and the other two followed after me as we made our way to the other entrance of the CCT grounds.

Naturally, all the soldiers had quit guarding the area as every single one of them went over to deal with Nora. Every couple seconds I could hear an explosion and I caught flashes of pink dust. I'm also pretty sure I heard someone shout "My leg!" at one point. I shook off all these thoughts as we made our way into the actual tower. The doors were predictably locked, but Pyrrha managed to pull them open using her polarity and we ran inside...only to find a whole new group of soldiers.

They stopped and stared at us as we stared back at them. Time seemed to freeze as our eyes widened in shock and their jaws went slack. This standstill only lasted for a couple seconds before the soldiers recovered from this shock and lifted their guns to fire at us. This reaction prompted Pyrrha to swing her arm upwards and yank their guns from their hands as she threw them into the air with her polarity. They all turned upwards to stare at their guns which had seemed to jump out of their hands on their own and it was at that moment Ren and I took advantage of their confusion.

We jumped forward and in the span of only a couple seconds knocked the whole group out just between the two of us. Just as the last soldier dropped though, I could hear the thundering footsteps of another group that must have been drawn to the commotion we had just created. "Jaune, go. We will hold them off." Pyrrha readied Milo and Akuo as she prepared herself for combat. I turned to Ren to see him give me an affirmative nod.

"Thanks guys. Be safe." I didn't hesitate to run further into the building and straight for the elevator. I got inside and stared at the number of floors available to me to choose. I didn't know exactly which one Penny was on but if I was a betting man I would guess the top. I pressed button and just as the doors began to close, gunfire echoed throughout the halls of the building. All the noise was silenced as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to take me up.

So far...so good. Just a little bit longer and I would be able to see Penny. What we were going to do after...well, I hadn't really thought of that. I don't know if any of us had. Ironwood's words from earlier echoed inside my brain. Even if I assumed we all safely made it out of here, we would be wanted criminals. Our careers as Hunters, well, that was dead and gone the moment Nora charged out there. They all did this for my selfish request of wanting to save my girlfriend...who I had only just met yesterday. If that wasn't one of the most stupid things I had ever heard I didn't know what was. Oh well, I was becoming a Hunter so I could help people anyways. There wasn't any point if I had to turn my back on people I cared about along the way...maybe they were looking at it the same way I was? Either way, as long as we stayed together, maybe it would work out. I had to believe so, I didn't exactly have much else to believe at this point.

The elevator dinged as the door slid open to reveal the top floor of the CCT. Cautiously, I stepped outside and into the small circular room. Windows aligned the entire wall, making practically all of Vale City visible from up here. I didn't pay attention to any of that though, because in the middle of the room was a large tube filled with green liquid...and inside that liquid was a comatose Penny.

"Penny!" I shouted as I ran up to the tube but she gave no reaction. Her eyes remained closed and her hair floated gently as the strange substance she was in bubbled upwards. She didn't appear to be hooked to anything but I could see a small monitor that was displaying her vitals. I assumed the liquid must not have been harmful and seeing as I had no idea how to get her out I did the only thing I could reasonably think of; I pulled out Crocea Mors and smashed the tube wide open with the broadside. The liquid poured out the hole I created and nearly bowled me over in the process. I withstood it though so when Penny's body fell forward with it I was able to catch her and keep her from collapsing to the ground.

Her head lulled over my shoulder and her chest slammed into mine but I managed to secure her by wrapping one arm around her waist and slowly backing away from all the shattered glass. Then as gently as I could, I laid her on the ground before sheathing my sword. "Penny, come on." I tapped her cheek lightly and pointlessly checked her wrist for vital signs before I remembered she was a robot.

She let out a small hiccup and her eyes fluttered open. "J-Jaune…" She mumbled in disbelief as her green eyes made contact with my blue ones. I gave a sigh of relief and placed my hand under her head and gently lifted her slightly off the ground.

"You miss me?" I gave her the biggest grin I could and her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that I actually was holding her in my arms right now.

"Jaune?! What are you doing here? I do not understand." She struggled to pick herself up but for some reason her body didn't have much strength in it and she collapsed back into my arms.

"That's a pretty strange question." I held her closely as I leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "I'm here to rescue my girlfriend. I wouldn't be much of a boyfriend if I just abandoned you, after all."

"You...but I-" Penny was at a loss for words as she continued to stare at me in disbelief. Finally she seemed to find her voice. "Even though you know I am not...I am not a real girl."

I gently ran my hand through her hair and squeezed her a little more tightly. "You...and even I for a minute in there, we got too hung up on what it means to be real. Today...I had a lot of fun with you doing normal things like going to the zoo and playing on the swing set. Fortunately, I had a really good pal show me I was being stupid. If you can forgive me for giving up on you for awhile in there I would like to try and give our relationship another go. I know I haven't earned your trust and it is definitely going to be hard, but I'm going to try to give you as normal a life as possible. If of course...you'll let me."

Before I could even react, Penny's arm wrapped around the back of my head and pulled my face down. I closed my eyes as our lips locked. The kiss was much more brief than either of our first two, but the feeling she put into it was no less powerful. As she let my head go I couldn't hide the huge smile that spread across my face. "I'll take that as a yes."

She gave a small nod and bit her lower lip as she tried hard to restrain a smile of her own. She tried once more to get back up but failed and I had to support her again. My smile turned concerned but before I could voice it she started talking. "That liquid I was in numbs my nerves. I will be able to move in a few minutes." That was all well and good, but I didn't exactly want to wait here for another few minutes. I had no idea how long it would be before someone came up to check on her. There was also the fact that my teammates were down on the ground floor, risking their lives for this right now. I needed to get Penny out of here as quickly as possible.

"Hold on tight, Penny." I slipped one arm under her back and the other under her knees before lifting her up into the air bridal-style as I got to my feet. Her arms instinctively wrapped around the back of my neck. This was kind of a nice feeling, it really made me feel like some kind of knight saving his princess from the stronghold of the terrible dragon. "Now let's get you out of here."

I turned back towards the elevator door and took only a single step before a loud bang echoed throughout the small room.

Penny jumped slightly in my arms and I instinctively tightened my grip more protectively around her and my eyes clenched shut for a moment. When I opened them back up, General Ironwood was standing in front of my path, a grim look plastered across his face.

In his right hand was a smoking revolver...and as my eyes focused in on the revolver I felt something wet dribble down left leg, past my knee and down my calf until it finally hit my ankle and began to pool inside my shoes.

A groan of pain reached my ears and I turned to make sure Penny was okay but she was looking down in horror at my leg. That was when I realized the groan of pain had came from my own lips. I clenched my teeth as my brain finally registered that it was in fact I who had been shot.

My left leg gave out beneath me and I collapsed down to my left knee while my right foot remained planted firmly on the ground.

It hurt.

It hurt.

It hurt.

It really, really freaking hurt.

I had never been shot before, at least not by a bullet my Aura hadn't been able to protect me from. Still, I clenched my teeth harder in an effort to not make my pain verbal. I did this both to not worry Penny and not give Ironwood the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he had just caused me.

"You are a resilient one, I will give you that, Mr Arc." Ironwood let out a tired sigh as he rubbed his temple in annoyance. "Your teammates are causing quite the havoc down there still. Once I deliver them your corpse though, that should calm them down."

"Mr Ironwood!" Penny screamed in anger as she turned her head towards him. She nearly tumbled out of my arms from the sudden movement but I managed to hold her in place.

"He brought this on himself, Penny. There is no need to be angry at me. Isn't that right, Mr Arc?" I could only glare at him in defiance, too afraid that if I opened my mouth I would yell again in pain. "You just couldn't let it go? Are you so desperate to be loved by anything that you would come running to save a robot girl? Worse yet, you dragged your team into this, making them fugitives in the process. Now let me ask you, was it worth it?"

My clenched teeth turned into a toothy smile. "It was."

I barely managed to open my mouth to say this but it had the desired look as Ironwood's face twisted in rage. "Are you an idiot!? Just let her go! What did you have to prove by coming here? Penny is just a robot built for war! She doesn't need anything pitiful like a boyfriend or a knight in shining armor! So just drop her already!"

"I won't!" Through my own anger I found my voice. "Penny...she's a normal girl. She just wants to do normal things like everyone else. And every girl deserves a guy that will treat her like she's a princess to him! That's why I won't let her go!"

Bang.

Once more Ironwood's revolver was smoking and my right arm went limp. I wasn't able to support Penny with just one arm and she tumbled to the ground and landed roughly just in front of me. "Jaune!" She screamed as I let out a loud cry of pain. She struggled to get to her feet but it was still too much for her so instead she reached forward and grabbed the hand that had fallen limp to my side. She didn't even concern herself with the blood that dribbled over her own hand as she did.

Why?

Why the Hell did this hurt so bad?

My Aura wasn't healing either wound nor was it making the pain vanish.

"You were saying, Mr Arc?" Ironwood asked, his voice full of mirth before he started chatting in that annoying know-it-all type of voice. "I did some research on you right before I first confronted you. Quite the impressive amount of Aura you have for someone so young. Unfortunately for you, these bullets are special. They're laced with a special Aura-piercing type of Dust. As long as that bullet remains inside you, your Aura won't be capable of healing you."

Shit.

Was there nothing I could do in this situation?

I tried to force my leg to move but just the very act of placing pressure on it caused my vision to flash white in pain. Even if I did manage to get back on my feet, my sword arm was now all but useless. There was no way I could properly even grip Crocea Mors, let alone swing it. This was hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. The only thing I could do was buy time, hope for a miracle of some sort.

"Why? Why can't you just let her live a normal life? Is it really so wrong to let her go out and have fun like normal people? Even if she is made for war, you said you could make more like her. It's one thing if you need to run tests from time to time, but at least let her go out and see the world she is supposed to be protecting when she wants."

"Penny doesn't know what she wants. She still has the mind of a child. She needs to learn and grow here where we can monitor her and provide her a stabilized environment. I know what I am doing appears cruel, but I am doing this because I love Penny. It is you that is leading her astray."

"Penny isn't a child. I spent the whole day with her, I would know. She just has a lot to learn about what it means to have a regular life. She can gain that by spending time outside of this place. Even she can see that and is smart enough to know that's what she wants. You're the only one too stupid to see it."

Ironwood glared at me and pulled the hammer back on the revolver. "Mr Ironwood! Please wait! Jaune is right! I just want to go out and see the world! I want to see as much as it as I can! I promise though, I will never try to sneak out again! Just please do not kill him!" She didn't let out a hiccup. She wasn't lying about that.

Still, that wasn't a promise I could allow her to make. "Penny! You have a right to live a long, eventful life! Don't let him make you spend the entirety of that life trapped inside labs!"

Ironwood let out a small chuckle at my words and I turned to glare at him. Just what the Hell was so funny? There was nothing amusing about this situation at all yet now he was laughing. "Long? Penny live a long life? You really don't know anything, do you, Mr Arc?"

What?

What was he talking about now?

I turned to Penny for answers but she averted her eyes.

"How much energy do you think it took to create an artificial Aura for Penny? To create an artificial soul? I'll tell you, more energy than what is currently powering Vale at this very moment. Even after using all that energy though, we only succeeded in creating something that would only last a few years at most. Do you understand, Mr Arc?"

He paused before he delivered the next line which hit me in the gut like a cannon.

"Penny only has about another three years to live."

No.

No, no, no.

He was lying.

He had to be lying.

"That is why it doesn't matter how much time Penny spends in the real world. She's just the prototype subject. What we need to learn from her first is how to create another Aura that costs less energy and lasts longer. We can always just upload her memories and personality into a hard drive and as long as we have the body we can reuse it."

I couldn't believe this guy. How could he say something so heartless?

"Even if you upload her memories and personality, even if you use the exact same body, you're talking about putting a different soul inside Penny. At the core of who we are is our Aura. She may talk exactly the same, and may think exactly the same, but she'll be different. She won't be the Penny that is in front of me right at this moment!"

"That may be true and in some ways that might also be for the best. Maybe the next Aura we create for her will be more obedient. I will at the very least be sure not to implement any of the memories she had of you in her later model. The last thing I need is our actual, working models rebelling against us."

"You bastar-"

Bang.

I didn't even get to finish that word before Ironwood pulled the trigger once again. Instead, blood sprayed violently from my mouth as my chest gave a pained heave. I shifted my eyes downwards to see Ironwood had shot me directly in the middle of the torso.

Oh damn.

I didn't think this was going to be a wound I could recover from.

"Jaune!" I could tell Penny screamed my name at the top of her lungs but her voice sounded incredibly far away and the outskirts of my vision began to fade out.

Ironwood's mouth was moving but I could no longer hear what it was he was saying.

Movement flashed out of the corner of my eye and I saw an enraged Penny finally gather the strength to kick off the ground as she charged directly at Ironwood. His eyes widened in fear and he turned the gun towards her but she was already directly in front of him.

I couldn't tell who was going to strike first. Would it be Penny's fist or his bullet?

Unfortunately for me, the world went black before I could find out the answer to that question.

* * *

The first thing I noticed when I eventually woke back up was that the walls and ceiling were really white. The second thing I noticed was that whatever I was lying in was incredibly comfortable.

That meant either one of two things: Either I was dead and this was the afterlife, which I personally thought was the more likely, or someone had brought me to a hospital. If I was being optimistic and assumed I was in the hospital, that meant somehow I had gotten out of that tower alive. So when Penny and Ironwood clashed…

"Penny!" I gasped and bolted upright in the hospital bed. As I did my vision blurred out of focus and I nearly collapsed back down. A gentle arm wrapped around my back and held me up. I grit my teeth and focused on the person holding me. It was Ren, so he had made it out after all...and he wasn't in handcuffs which was a good sign.

What about Pyrrha and Nora? Had Ironwood just let us go? Did he still have Penny? I had so many questions but it had burned my throat just to scream Penny's name a moment ago and sound no longer came out my mouth, no matter how hard I tried.

Ren held up a small cup of water and I took it gratefully. The cold liquid felt rejuvenating as it slid down my throat. While I was drinking, Ren started talking. "You have been out for about three days now, Jaune." I nearly spit the water out that I just drank. Three days!? "A lot has happened since you passed out. I know there is going to be a lot of information but you have to listen with as open a mind as possible. Can you do that?" I gave a small, short nod before I opened my mouth but he raised his hand to silence my questions.

"I'll start in the order that makes sense. Penny, she's safe. After you passed out she attacked Ironwood...and crushed his windpipe. He's still alive but he's in intensive care. It's doubtful whether or not he'll pull through. When the three of us got to the top floor, we found you passed out in a pool of blood and Ironwood on the floor. Penny was cradling you in her arms. We got you here where Professor Ozpin eventually met us. Apparently he had a conversation with a man he only called "Penny's father." We never actually saw him ourselves. Essentially, Penny is free to do what she wants now. The Atlas government no longer has any hold over her. We're also being expunged of our crimes because we were only acting out our civic duties."

I let out a deep breath I didn't even realize I was holding. "So, it's a happy ending then." I couldn't help but let out a bright grin. This was almost too good to be true. Penny was free, my friends weren't going to be imprisoned and I had somehow survived.

Ren's face though twisted in a grimace and my own smile faltered. What was he making that expression for? Everything was all good, wasn't it?

"There's something else you need to know. The doctor wanted to tell you but I insisted that you hear it from me. Pyrrha and Nora...the reason they're not here right now is because they didn't want to be around when I told you."

"Tell me what?" My throat was suddenly dry again. "What happened? Where's Penny? You told me she was free to go!" I grew increasingly more panicked every second and if Ren didn't reach over to hold me back I might have jumped out of my bed to go look for her.

"Penny is fine. She's here in the hospital, on top of the roof. It's you, Jaune." Me? My face twisted in confusion before it widened in fear. Was I not okay? I looked at my arm and it was still there so I checked my legs under the blanket. There wasn't even a bullet wound left from where Ironwood shot me. I looked healthy, so I didn't understand. What was wrong?

"The bullets Ironwood shot you with...they were Anti-Aura bullets." Ren continued slowly, as if he was trying to take great care in explaining to me what happened. He almost looked reluctant to continue and I could've sworn for a moment I saw his look of passive nonchalance crack.

I nodded once more to his words to show I understood. "Ironwood said that when he shot me. It's why the bullets passed through my Aura like it wasn't even there."

"Those bullets...Jaune, they were in you for awhile before the surgeon was able to dig them out. The Anti-Aura residue from them merged with your blood and entered your heart. It infused with you."

"What...does that mean exactly?" I wasn't sure what Ren was trying to get at. My Aura was still working, as evidence by the fact that I didn't even have scars from where I was shot.

"The Anti-Aura Dust in your bloodstream...it's slowly destroying your Aura. In other words, it's whittling away at your life-force a little at a time."

"So...I'm dying?"

Was that what Ren was trying to say? Even if Ironwood hadn't managed to kill me that night he would still succeed in the end? Was that it?

Ren gave a single nod. "Your Aura is rather large but even then...the doctor guesses about three years. In three years the Dust will kill you."

"I...see." I heard Ren's words. I heard them and I knew he wasn't lying to me. In fact, I believed him without hesitation. It was just too unreal. I was going to die? And in three years? I would only be twenty. The life expectancy of a Hunter was never high but that just seemed way too young. Was this my punishment? Punishment for what? Trying to get a girlfriend? "You said Penny is on the roof?"

I needed to talk to her. Maybe if I talked to her I could make sense of this.

Ren gave another nod and patted a change of clothes for me that was placed on the counter. "I'll help you get dressed and then take you to see her."

"Thanks Ren, you really are like the brother I never had." I extended my hand and he gripped it firmly to help me up.

"I feel the same, Jaune."

* * *

Penny was standing by the edge of the roof, overlooking the city of Vale. The wind up here was strong and it was blowing her hair and skirt to the side. It also masked any of the noise I made as I struggled to walk on my own to get up to her. I wasn't wounded but after laying still for three days, my muscles needed to get used to moving again. Ren stood just by the door, far enough away to give us privacy but close enough that he could be by my side in a second if I collapsed.

I stopped just behind her and cleared my throat. She spun around in surprise and her green eyes widened as they saw me. I gave a small smile and held my hand up in greeting. "Hey."

That was all I managed to say before she tackled into me and wrapped her arms around me in a big hug that nearly knocked me off my feet, in fact it was a miracle we both didn't tumble over. "Jaune! I am sorry. I am so sorry."

"Woah, calm down there. You have nothing to be sorry for." I gently pat her head and gave her the most reassuring smile that I could. She pulled back slightly to look at me in disbelief.

"How can you say that? Because of me...your life-"

"My life has a girlfriend in it now, because of you. And I couldn't be happier about that. What happened was because I made a choice to stand by you. I don't regret that." I cupped her chin and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Besides, this way makes us even...our life expectancy is about the same now." Even as I said those words the truth of them dawned on me. Penny and I both only had about three years left to live. As that thought really began to sink in an idea began to form.

"Jaune…" Penny pulled me back into another hug and rested her chin on my shoulder. I could tell even now she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry but that was something she wasn't capable of.

"Penny, have you thought about what you're going to do...now that you're free to do what you want?" I stepped back away from the hug and put an arm's-length distance between us as I gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

She averted them bashfully and gave a small nod. "I want...to spend the rest of my time alive with you. It is the only way I can think to repay you for what you have done for me."

I sighed in relief and her eyes darted back to meet mine. "I'm glad to hear that because I was thinking the same thing. We should spend what time left we have with each other. We can go explore the world or something. We don't have to decide exactly what we want to do right now, we have a little bit of time to figure it out."

"What about Beacon and your team?" She brought up a good point and I grimaced as I turned back to see Ren still waiting patiently as we talked.

"I'll...have to withdraw from Beacon. I wouldn't even live long enough to see graduation and my Aura is only going to get continually weaker as the years go on. I would just be a hindrance to them once that happened. Pyrrha and Nora...they're not going to like it, Ren won't either, but by the end I won't have much of a choice anyways. I can always talk to them on the scroll...from wherever we decide to go." My breath hitched as I reached the end. My words made so much sense that they sounded foreign coming out of my own mouth. The truth was, I didn't want to quit Beacon. I didn't want to leave my team. What I did want was to spend time with Penny...more time than either of us had. That was the hard truth though. We didn't have time and I would only hold my team back now. So...I had to quit. That was the truth and even though I said it myself I wasn't entirely sure I had accepted it.

I looked past Penny and across the city of Vale. My hands slipped off her shoulders and I took a couple steps closer to the edge of the roof. "Jaune?" Penny asked curiously and turned to see what I was looking at. The thing was, I don't even know if I was sure what I was looking at now that I stood on the edge of the roof, overlooking the city. I could see countless things from here. Other buildings, hundreds of cars as they wheeled down the roads, thousands of people as the used the sidewalk, the blue sky, the white clouds. I just kind of took everything in. It was such a familiar scene yet it all looked different to me now.

Penny stopped right next to me and her fingers interlocked with mine and I gave her hand a small squeeze to acknowledge her. She only had a few years left on this planet...and now so did I. We were two people that wouldn't get to look at ordinary things like this for much longer.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. The idea of death terrified me. I didn't have any regrets though. I made my choice and even if that led me here, I wouldn't change that choice even if I was given the option. Penny was worth making that choice for, I knew that.

"Penny, no matter what, I'm glad I met you."

She leaned her head sideways and rested it on my shoulder as we continued to stare across the city together, hand in hand.

"I am too."

* * *

 **AN:** And so there you have it.

I know a lot of you probably think that ending is kind of twisted and isn't really all that happy a resolution, so I'll try to explain my reasoning. I tried to picture what a long life between Jaune and Penny would be like and I only came up with a couple things. One, he gets really old while she remains perpetually seventeen, or two, every couple years she has to change into progressively older looking body. The first one actually sounds kind of creepy to me, and the second just kind of feels like their relationship loses something by doing that. Like, Jaune fell in love with Penny for her soul, not her outward appearance. So yeah, this was my solution outside of some Deus Ex Machina Semblance where they turn Penny into a real girl.

I like to believe that even though their time together is going to be short it will be spent happily, and really to me, that's one of the best endings their relationship can achieve. Whether you disagree with me or not is fine, this is just my opinion and why I chose to end it this way. You're of course free to believe that after they leave the hospital they search the world for a way to allow themselves to live long lives and eventually succeed. That's perfectly fine too and up to you.

Otherwise, things did kind of progress crazy fast between Jaune and Penny, especially when you compare how slow I move in my other story, lol. And Ironwood was certainly more of an ass then he is usually portrayed as in Canon. Alas, hopefully I was able to pull this off in a somewhat convincing manner. Well, that's all from me this time. Thanks for taking the time to check out this story!


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